First of all, :00000732: to the KIA Forums!

I absolutely love my 2014 Sorento. No regrets at all.

From what I've heard/read, the 2016+ models are even better than mine.

I would definitely purchase another Sorento.

I really like Subaru vehicles also (my mother has a 2010 Legacy - I picked it for her). I considered getting an Outback for myself a few years back. However, I believe the Sorento is a better vehicle.

My two cents.



Richard

 

No regrets with my 2016 SX, the SXL was $5000 more, but couldn't justify the cost vs features.
Love my 2016 Sorento SX.

 

:00000732:2016 sx, love it.Took awhile to break the seats in,but great now.Wasn't interested in the sxl features like Danno1 said.No regrets

 

I was surprised at how quiet it is on the highway. I think my only regret is paying slightly more for the AWD. It really doesn't feel all that different from other FWD cars I've owned. However I don't do any off-roading, and that's probably where it makes the most difference. But it's been great overall.

 

What do you expect to feel differently? I have nothing but confidence in my AWD Sorento.

 

I didn't expect it to feel different in normal driving conditions. It just wasn't something I thought much about at the time I was looking for a new car. So I didn't look closely at the FWD Sorentos out there (which are slightly cheaper).

 

I have had a 2018 Sorento LX V6 AWD since September, and I love it.

My previous car was a 2006 Subaru Forester X, which I had for 8 years and almost 120,000 miles. (Traded it at 150,000mi, I got it used at 3 years old and ~30,000mi on it already)

I loved my Forester, and I had pretty good luck with it, though I did end up getting the head gasket leak (common problem with those after a while) and changing them at about 110K miles. $1900 job at the dealership, but it wasn't leaking when I traded it 3 years later. I also had to replace my A/C Compressor.

I got the Sorento because I had another kid and needed a third row. While I loved the Forester, the Sorento is SOOOO nice and smooth, I am glad I got it. With regards to the third row, I found even I could sit in it comfortably, and I am 6' tall. The only drawback is the floor is higher and the seat is lower there, so my knees were up fairly high. (Also getting out is awkward) but the kids (6 yrs and almost 12 yrs old) have no problem and they love it back there.

So far I have had no regrets at all. I did go with the convenience package (upgraded infotainment, heated front seats, power adjustable drivers seat, automatic climate control and 3rd row heat/ac, digital speedometer, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert) but that package is totally worth the few extra thousand dollars, in my opinion.

I think the Ascent is supposed to be pretty big, longer and a bit wider than the Sorento. So to me, the Sorento is easier to park (suprisingly easy, considering how much bigger it is than my Forester) and easy to fit in my short driveway.

 

If you're in Boston, then the AWD is the way to go. In western PA that's pretty much all they sell. They have a few FWDs on the lot, but they're bare bones models just really meant to allow a low base price to be advertised.

This year I had occasion to be out driving about 50 miles delivering band hoagies while in the midst of a 6-8 inch snowstorm. I had no issues. I don't know how a FWD model would have reacted, and I don't want to find out.

 

By the way, the AWD 4 cylinder LXs have the third row, too, now.

 

We owned a 2015 Sorento SX and now a 2018 Sorento SXL. Here are a few things that we liked about it.

1. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the interior quality of the 2015 Sorento was and 2018 is even better
2. The 2015 Sorento ride was "ok"... It was great for highway cruising and for around town, but too much body roll for my taste. The 2018 ride is wayyyy better. The handling is sharper without compromising on ride quality.
3. The V6 is nice... It has turned my wife into a lead foot driver. LOL.
4. Reliability of the 2015 was great. Just regular oil changes and gas... I don't recall any issues with it. Too early to tell with the 2018 just yet.
5. Price... the dealers in the DC area were ready to deal on Sorento. We got great deals on both the 2015 and the 2018.

My two cents.

 

I just traded in my 2017 Subaru Forester XT (The Turbo Model) for a CPO 2017 Sorento LX.

That should tell you something.

It was my 3rd Subaru, and really, the KIA's fit/finish and build quality is a completely higher level than the Subaru, it reminds me of my 2008 Audi A6... mind blowing.
Subaru drive train is great, but the coachworks are slapped together, fit and finish is 90's quality, rattles, hard plastic, and gaps everywhere, and the CVT transmissions (now on everything) have issues. (My prior 2014 Outback was recalled because Subaru used cheap sleeve bearings in the transmissions, causing them to go into a "cripple" mode when cold, an issue I had but the dealer "could not replicate", now NHTSA has recalled them for the issue, requiring the transmission to be rebuilt with ball bearings (basically Subaru saved $20, and it's costing them a bunch... and seriously "sleeve" bearings tells you they weren't building these to last...)

(FYI: Right now there's a bunch of LX Rental Cars just released, and Kia dealers get the "pick of the litter" (Cars usually with 15-24K on them). The pricing is amazing on them.)

Yes, they're Rentals, but Rental cars are extremely well maintained, and cars computer system pretty much make it impossible for people to really destroy them.

Also, IE: the one I just got had 20K on it, but had only 9mos of service... that many miles is a lot of highway miles on it.

CPO KIAs reinstate the full 10/100 powertrain, plus you still have the 5/60 warranty. In my case It's still has 40K miles and over 4 Years of the full warranty, and 80K/9 Years of the Powertrain... hard to beat.

 

I had a 2016 LX for 35000 miles. No problems at all! Just traded in for a 2018 EX V6 and I LOVE it! A big difference! Rides so smooth! No complaints!